Monday, July 4, 2011

Using HDMI for audio from video sources now

I've just about finished converting over to use HDMI for audio from video sources now. In previous blog post, I discussed connecting bedroom TV to bedroom stereo. Since then, I've also connected living room TV to living room system, also on the Tact Analog input 1 (in quick test, it didn't seem to need isolation transformer, I noticed also that TV is plugged into Belkin power conditioner same as audio equipment). Then it turned out my DVD player was connected to master HDMI switch with a DVI cable. So I used the very nice 15 foot HDMI cable I ordered with my Oppo BDP-95 to connect Denon 2910 to switch with HDMI. I kept the DVI cable connected, and tied the HDMI to it with tie wraps, thus lessening the strain on the HDMI connector from the 5 foot drop to the floor. I wish they had made HDMI a screw-on connector like DVI, those are more secure.

Now one source remains without audio, and that is my Sony RDR-HX900 hard drive and DVD recorder, one of the key players in my system. It only has analog video outputs, currently the S-Video is connected to the DVDO scaler which converts to DVI. But DVI doesn't include audio, and I was disappointed to find that the audio inputs on the scaler only work through a switch function to the audio output.

So what is needed is a DVI to HDMI converter with audio insertion. These are amazingly hard to find. Apparently some early models had trouble with the HDCP. I don't need HDCP in this application, the output from my Sony HD recorder is analog and not copy protected. All sorts of Google scanning could not find anything useful or still in stock. Finally I searched on eBay and found what I needed, an Konig DVI to HDMI converter, catalog number KN-HDMICON30. It is alleged to have fully working HDCP. I could not find this unit at any US based seller, but it did turn up on Amazon in UK for a slightly lower price than what I'm getting on eBay. But it could not be shipped to USA from Amazon in UK. So I bought the one on eBay for the interesting price of $116.66.